Protocols For Highly-Dynamic Airborne Networks

End-to-end communication in highly-dynamic airborne networks is challenging due to the presence of highly mobile nodes and the inherent nature of wireless communication channels. Domain-specific protocols are required that can address these challenges and enable reliable transmission of data in this environment. We develop the ANTP (airborne network and transport protocols) suite that operates in this highly-dynamic environment while utilising cross-layer optimisations between the physical, MAC, network, and transport layers. We show how each component in the ANTP suite outperforms the traditional TCP/IP and MANET protocols through simulation using ns-3. Having verified these protocols through simulation and analysis, the next step towards deployment of the ANTP suite is developing a cross-platform implementation of the protocols. Towards this end we present an architecture for the protocol stack to be implemented in the Python programming language.